Iran's army sets up hospital in capital as virus toll climbs

An Iranian army soldier walks past rows of beds at a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for COVID-19 coronavirus patients set up by the army at the international exhibition center in northern Tehran, Iran, on Thursday, March 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

SHARE

TEHRAN, IRAN --
Iran announced another 144 deaths from the coronavirus on Friday and said thousands more were in critical condition as the military completed work on a 2,000-bed field hospital in an exhibition centre in the capital.

Iran has reported nearly 2,400 deaths among more than 32,000 cases. Iranian officials have repeatedly insisted they have the outbreak under control despite concerns it could overwhelm the country's health facilities.

Late Friday, Jordan announced its first death from the virus, a women in her 80s who had underlying medical conditions, according to state-run news agency Petras and Jordan TV.

There have been 235 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Arab kingdom. On March 21, Jordan imposed an indefinite full lockdown after it had shut down its airspace and other border crossings.

In Yemen, meanwhile, the U.S. Agency for International Development began scaling back aid efforts in areas controlled by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels over their resistance to allowing measures that ensure aid goes to those who most need it. Yemen has yet to record any coronavirus cases, but an outbreak in the war-torn country could be catastrophic.

In central Beirut, brief scuffles broke out between security forces and anti-government protesters who have been holding a sit-in there since October. Shortly before the nighttime curfew began on Friday, the security forces ordered the protesters to disperse but when one protester tried to set himself on fire, they moved in to take down the demonstrators' tents.

Iran's military said the new facility, which includes three units and several isolation wards, was set up in just 48 hours. It will begin receiving patients next week and will be used for those recovering from the COVID-19 illness caused by the virus.

Most people infected by the virus only experience mild symptoms, such as fever and cough, and recover within a few weeks. But the virus can cause severe illness and death, particularly in older patients or those with underlying health problems. It is highly contagious and can be spread by otherwise healthy people showing no visible symptoms.

The virus has infected more than half a million people worldwide and killed more than 24,000. More than 120,000 people have recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

Iran is battling the worst outbreak in the region. Health Ministry spokesman Kianoush Jahanpour announced the latest deaths on Friday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 2,378 amid 32,332 confirmed cases.

He said nearly all of the approximately 2,900 newly confirmed cases are in critical condition. More than 11,000 people have been released from hospitals, according to the ministry.

Iran's government has faced widespread criticism for not acting faster to contain the virus. Only in recent days have authorities ordered nonessential businesses to close and banned travel between cities -- long after other nations in the region imposed sweeping lockdowns.

On Thursday, the national committee established to combat the outbreak, which includes President Hassan Rouhani, ordered the closure of national parks. The move came ahead of Nature Day on April 1, when Iranians typically gather for outdoor picnics.

In Iran's western Kurdistan province, some 70 convicts escaped from a prison in the city of Saqqez on Friday, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. It quoted provincial prosecutor Mohammad Jabbari as saying some fought with the guards before making their escape. Trying to fight the virus, Iran has already temporarily released about 85,000 prisoners on temporary leave but the Saqquez convicts were not among those.

Iran has been under severe U.S. sanctions since President Donald Trump withdrew his country from Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers. The U.S. has offered humanitarian aid to Iran but authorities have refused.

Earlier this week, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, refused American aid and seized on a conspiracy theory that the United States created the virus, something for which there is no scientific evidence.

Hundreds of Iranians have meanwhile been sickened or died from drinking methanol in the mistaken belief that it offers protection from the virus. Word of fake remedies has spread across social media in Iran, where many are deeply suspicious of the government after it initially downplayed the crisis.

Lebanon, which has reported 391 infections and seven deaths, imposed the nighttime curfew starting Friday. The country of nearly 5 million has been under lockdown for two weeks, with only essential businesses allowed to remain open, a measure that will remain in place for at least another two weeks.

Israel, meanwhile, has seen a surge in infections in recent days. It has reported 3,035 cases and 12 fatalities, mainly older patients with pre-existing conditions. The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has reported 84 cases.

Authorities in the Gaza Strip, which has been under an Israeli and Egyptian blockade since the Hamas militant group seized power there in 2007, have reported nine cases.

Gaza's health care infrastructure has been severely eroded by years of conflict and isolation. A major outbreak in the territory, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians, could be extremely difficult to contain.

Another major areas of concern is Yemen, where the Houthis have been at war with a Saudi-led coalition for five years. The war has killed more than 100,000 people, displaced millions more and driven the Arab world's poorest country to the brink of famine.

A USAID spokesperson said it was suspending nearly $73 million in aid "in the face of long-standing Houthi interference in humanitarian operations." The Houthis control the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, areas home to 70% of the country's population.

The spokesperson said USAID will continue to provide life-saving assistance in areas at risk of famine. It will also support UN flights, water and sanitation programs which are essential to preventing the spread of the virus. It will also continue providing aid in southern Yemen.

The spokesperson spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in keeping with regulations.

The Houthis have long sought to divert aid to their fighters and supporters. Last year, the rebels blocked half of the U.N.'s aid programs and resisted efforts to expand biometric registration and other measures to ensure aid was delivered to civilians.

But Samah Hadid, director of advocacy for Oxfam Yemen, expressed concern that USAID's pullback could leave the country even more vulnerable to the pandemic.

"With the start of the rainy season, we are projecting that Yemen could face over one million cases of cholera this year," she said. "Coupled with coronavirus, this would spell a catastrophe for Yemen."